AUD Students Win First Place at the IMA Middle East Student Case Competition

Business students emerge triumphant at the annual Middle East Student Case Competition.

10/05/2017

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On Saturday, May 6, 2017, IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) held its annual Middle East Student Case Competition in Dubai, UAE. Out of 15 submissions this year, four student teams from the American University of the Middle East (AUM) from Kuwait, American University in Dubai (AUD), Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani in Dubai and Prince Sultan University (PSU) from Riyadh, KSA battled it out with their presentation and negotiation skills.

After their presentation, the teams had to endure a tough Q&A session with the panel of judges where they had to defend their management accounting case analysis. Ultimately, the team from American University in Dubai (AUD) emerged as the first prize winner while the team from PSU won second prize.

“Every year, IMA invites colleges and universities to select a team of two to five students to determine the best solution for a management accounting case. We do this to help prepare finance and accounting students for their future roles,” says Hanadi Khalife, Director, IMEA Operations at IMA.

The first place winner won a cash prize of US$3000 while the second place winner received US$2000. Globally, IMA sponsors a variety of awards, competitions, and CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) scholarship programs to help students earn recognition for their achievements and develop a curious, experimental, and adaptable mindset among future accounting and finance professionals.

“It was a great experience and I will gladly do it again if given the chance. Thank you for the opportunity to learn finance and accounting leadership in the real world,” says Issa Salem, speaking on behalf of his teammate Ameer Aboushaar, the winning team from the American University in Dubai.

Studies show that the majority of accountants – about 75 percent – either work in corporate businesses as management accountants or in academia. IMA's globally-recognized CMA program is a relevant assessment of advanced accounting and financial management knowledge in four areas: financial planning, analysis, control and decision support – each of which is increasingly critical in meeting the changing needs of business, and therefore, essential learning for students of accounting and finance.

ABOUT IMA® (INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS)

IMA®, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 85,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imamiddleeast.org.